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Cord Cutting May Not Be a Bargain After All
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 23, 2019  | 
Over the past year, the price of streaming live TV has been on the rise. It’s time to question whether cutting the cord — canceling the subscription to your cable/satellite/telecom provider — will really save you money.
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AT&T to Launch WarnerMedia Streaming Service
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 09, 2019  | 
WarnerMedia, now owned by AT&T, will offer its own streaming app in the fall.
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The Fight Is Over: YouTube Returns to Fire TV, Prime Video to Chromecast
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 24, 2019  | 
Peace between Amazon and Google means that the YouTube app will return to Fire TVs and Amazon Prime Video will be available for casting to Google Chromecast.
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Newly Launched Criterion Channel Brings Back Classic Film Streaming
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 11, 2019  | 
The Criterion Channel has launched bringing back streaming of important classic and contemporary films. Here is why it is better than your average streaming service.
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Apple Reveals Details of Apple TV Plus, New Apple TV App and More
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 25, 2019  | 
In a star-studded event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA, Apple yesterday announced plans for a revamped Apple TV app, a new streaming service, and original content it is producing in cooperation with a slew of A-list Hollywood directors and actors.
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Hands On: Adding TIDAL Integration to PLEX
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 06, 2019  | 
The PLEX media player app has expanded to include more than just the downloaded movies and music you own. It now offers the ability to stream music from the TIDAL subscription service.
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Samsung Stops Selling Blu-ray Players in U.S.
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 21, 2019  | 
Samsung has stopped selling Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players in the U.S. Could this be one more sign that physical media will ultimately disappear, only to be replaced by streaming movies and TV?
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UltraViolet Cloud-Based Movie Locker to Close in July
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 06, 2019  | 
The lights will go out on UltraViolet on July 31 when the cloud-based movie-rights locker/library will be discontinued. UltraViolet’s demise became inevitable when Movies Anywhere launched in 2017 with a greater number of movie studio and streaming partners. While Movies Anywhere has most of the same partners as UltraViolet, users will still want to take steps to be sure all of their movies will be available after July.
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Sling TV Offers Free Content on Roku Devices
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 23, 2019  | 
Sling TV has just released changes to its app on Roku devices, allowing users to watch free TV episodes and channels.
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Streaming, Voice Control Tech Abounds at CES 2019
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 09, 2019  | 
CES 2019 is in full swing, and it’s clear that streaming and voice-control technology are making major strides, particularly in TVs. Here’s what we’ve learned.
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2018 Streaming Media Player and Content Roundup: It’s All About Convenience
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 27, 2018  | 
If there is one word that describes the streaming innovations of 2018, it’s “convenience.” This year, more media players have added voice control through Google Assistant and Amazon Echo smart speakers, or voice remotes with built-in microphones. As live and recorded TV apps are being added to media players, users can now access all the content they want to watch without switching from one device to another.
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Hands On: Fire TV Recast DVR Brings Live TV and Recording to Amazon’s Ecosystem
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 12, 2018  | 
The release of the Fire TV Recast DVR highlights Amazon’s effort to offer a complete streaming solution. The Recast is a network connected tuner and DVR that adds live TV and recording to Fire TV’s current offering of streaming apps and Amazon Prime premium channels like STARZ, HBO, Showtime, and more. It’s everything a cord-cutter could want.
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Hands On: Fire TV Cube - A Cross Between Amazon Echo and Fire TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 28, 2018  | 
Although the Fire TV Cube was released by Amazon in June, it has not yet received the recognition or hype it deserves. The Cube is a cross between a smart speaker and a Fire TV media player. Like an Amazon Echo speaker, the Cube can hear commands from across the room and has a built-in speaker to play back its reply. Like a Fire TV media player, it streams from all the same apps as other Fire TV models and can play 4K HDR content.
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Hands On: Roku Wireless Speakers and TCL Roku TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 15, 2018  | 
In line with Roku’s goal of keeping entertainment simple, the company is turning its sights on adding better quality audio to Roku TVs. This month, Roku is releasing wireless stereo speakers that work in conjunction with any Roku TV.
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Hands On: How Useful Is Voice Control with Popular Streaming Devices?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 01, 2018  | 
A number of streaming media players have recently been upgraded to include basic voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home, so I tested both systems on several players to see how close we’ve come to true hands-free control.
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